The final moments of Thor: Love and Thunder push the film’s leading man into new territory. Before the credits roll, the film closes by opening a new chapter in Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) life – from his father to a godfather. Honoring the dying wish of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), Thor essentially adopts Gorr’s daughter, who is brought back to life by Eternity, emerging from the cosmic wish with godlike powers. After all the loss he’s suffered, the God of Thunder forges a new path with his daughter Love by his side (Love and Thunder, get it?). Love plays a crucial role in the film, appearing in the first and last scenes, with her death at the beginning of the film being what ultimately sets up Gorr’s father in his quest to murder all the gods. Subsequently, it is her revitalized life that allows Thor to discover his own new purpose in life – to be a father. So who is she? Sure, Love doesn’t exist in Marvel comics as far as the Earth-616 universe is concerned, meaning she’s an entirely new character brought in specifically for the MCU. And while Thor has fathered children in other timelines in the comics, Gorr the God Butcher’s daughter was not one of them. Love is played by Hemsworth’s real-life daughter India Rose Hemsworth, with whom the actor shares his wife Elsa Pataky. Whether this means the mini-Hemsworth will now become a permanent facet in the future of the MCU remains to be seen, but given the real father-daughter chemistry, the Love and Thunder pair are certainly ready to take on new adventures down the road. . Enter the mid-credits scene and the post-credits scene. With Thor’s next steps well laid out, audiences get a further look at what’s next in the God of Thunder’s journey. With so many comic storylines, new characters, and constantly moving parts to come in the MCU, let’s break down the key takeaways from these finale scenes. The first scene refers to a long-standing comic rivalry between Thor and Hercules. It begins with Zeus (Russell Crowe), who has apparently survived the trauma inflicted on him by Thor, complaining that mortals now look to their favorite superheroes rather than the gods to solve their problems. “When did we become a joke?” says Zeus. “They will fear us again when Thor Odinson falls from the sky.” The god of lightning tasks his son Hercules with the task of taking on Thor — with the big reveal of Hercules himself, played by Ted Lasso Emmy winner Brett Goldstein. While some may know Hercules from Greek mythology or even Disney’s 1997 animated rendition, this Hercules isn’t too far off. Like other iterations of the figure, Marvel’s Hercules is also the son of Zeus, often feuding with Thor throughout the comics over trivial matters, usually as a result of their competitive nature. Herc first appeared as Thor’s rival in Marvel’s 1965 Journey Into Mystery Annual, and while he has his own comic stories, the character most often appears in team crossover stories. Within the current timeline of the ongoing comics, Hercules has served on superhero teams such as the Avengers, the Champions, and even the Guardians of the Galaxy. While the brief appearance doesn’t give audiences much insight into what the MCU’s take on Hercules will be, it’s likely we’ll see Goldstein appear in an upcoming Marvel project one way or another soon enough. The post-concert scene reveals Jane Foster’s (Natalie Portman) next steps after sharing her final moments with Thor at the gates of Eternity. Her fate in the afterlife? To spend the rest of her days feasting in the banqueting halls of Valhalla. She is greeted by Heimdall (Idris Elba), a beloved Asgardian who was murdered by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War. As Heimdall welcomes Jane to Valhalla, it raises the question of whether Jane Foster in the MCU is truly over. With Valhalla thrown into the mix, dead characters like Heimdall, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Frigga (Rene Russo) and — depending on how the multiverse plays into it — possibly a Loki (Tom Hiddleston) could to appear from the Viking afterlife. And while that might just have been a heartfelt send-off for Portman and Elba as the original members of the Thor saga, the MCU’s history would imply that dead doesn’t always mean truly dead. In the multiverse, anything is possible.
